Nipple for nursing-bottles.



W. J. EGGERS, DECD. m.1. seems, ADMINISTRATRIX.

NIPPLE FOR NURSING BOTTLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.16.I9T7.

1 ,29,7@5 Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

WI MESS:

INVENTOH WILLIAM J. scenes, or BROOKLYN, mew vonx; Y J. neenns an i l OF SAID WILLIAM J. EGG-BBS, DECEASED.

PLE FOR NURSING-BOTTLES.

11,289, soc.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patelmtgd Dec. 33, 1918..

Application filed Hatch 1c, 1917. Serial in. 155,152.

vented certain new and useful Improvements in Nipples for Nursing-Bottles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof.

- This invention has for its object to provide a nipple for a nursing bottle with a valve which shall admit air freely to displace the milk when the bottle is in use but shall not permit leakage of the milk, regardless of the position of the bottle, to i provide means whereby the proper functions of the air valve shall not be interfered with either by the neck of the bottle or the lip of the infant, and to improve the construction of the nipple so that it can be slipped upon the neck of the bottle without diificultv. The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which it is illustrated and in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the improved nipple.

Fig. 2 is a view of the same in axial section.

Fig. 3 is also a view of the same in axial section but on a plane of section at right angles to that of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 show difierent which may be given 'to the valve.

The improved nipple, made of rubber or other suitable material, is of the usual form, having a cylindrical portion a to engage the neck of the bottle and a mouth portion 5 which is provided in its extremitv with an orifice c for the delivery of the milk.

At a suitable point, preferably inthe cylindrical portion a near the line where it forms joins the mouth portion 6, is a valve or air sufficiently free inflow of air. In accord ance with the present invention the air valve or inlet is so shaped as to permit the air to enter with sufficient freedom while preventing leakage of milk. -The valve or inlet is formed by perforating the wall of the nipple in a line or lines so formed or curved as to make one or more tongues. A single straight slit is found to permit leakage if it is long enough to permit the inflow of air with the necessary freedom, but the tongue or tongues formed by a curved or bent slit or by a plurality of' slits, yield sufliciently under the atmospheric pressure from without, when a partial vacuum is formed within the nipple, so as to ermit thefree inflowof air, but it does not yield sufiiciently to permit .the outflow of milk, the difierence of pressure even when the bottle is inverted, not being Sllfllcient to open the slot so as to permit the escape of The air valve or inlet obviously may have different forms, as shown in the several fi ures of the drawing. In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the slot at d is Y-shaped, forming three tongues e. In Fig. 4, the slit is -shaped, forming two tongues e. In Fig. 5, two intersecting slits at d form fourtongues c. In Fig. 6, a curved slit and a straight slit at (5 form two tongues e. In Fig. 7, a single curved slit forms a single ton e a.

It is necessary that the lips of the inlet shall not rest against the neck of the bottle. To prevent this, the nipple may be formed interiorly with a shoulder f to prevent the nipple from being drawn upon the bottle so far that the lips of the valve restin contact I with the glass, but as it often happens that notwithstanding the provision of such a shoulder the nipple is drawn on to the bottle until the shoulder passes the lip of the bottle, there is formed on the inner surface of the nipple, in proximity to the valve or inlet 12, a projection g which may be lune-shaped or otherwise shaped and serves to hold the inner wall of the nipple away fiom the bottle at this point so that air may always enter the nipple andthe bottle freely when a partial vacuum is formed therein.

It is also necessary that the air valve or inlet shall not be covered by the lip of the child, and for this purpose a'projection 7: is formed on the outer surface of the nipple, preferably lune-shaped as shown. so that the lip of the child shall not slip down over the air valve or inlet.

With ordinary nipples much dificulty is posed to overcome this difiiculty by provid' minalbead'z' acutely ovate in cross section, that is, by bringing the bead to an acute edge, as plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it

being found in practice that with such a bead n0 difliculty is experienced in slipping the nipple over the lip of the bottle. Furthermore, as will be observed by inspection, of

the drawings, the maximum swell of the outer portion of the bead is nearer the edge of the bead than is the maximum swell of the inner portion, whereby the maximum swell of the inner portion thrusts outwardly the. wall of the nipple beyond the outer swell of the bead and therefore tilts the bead inward toward the bottle neck and causes it to hug the neck very tightly, the

the lip.

It will be understood that various changes in details of construction may be made to meet the convenience of the manufacturer and that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown and described herein.

I claim as my invention:

A nipple for a nursing bottle having its terminal bead brought to an acute edge and the maximum swell of the outer portion of the bead nearer the edge than the maximum swell of the inner portion, whereby the bead is tilted inward toward the bottle neck and the nipple is caused to hug the neck tightly.

This specification signed this fifteenth day of March, A. D. 1917.

WILLIAM J. EGGERS. 

